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Katha
Geography & Economy Katha is a natural harbor sheltered from storms by several outlying islands that form a bay. Most of the city is built on the mainland, but recent expansion has begun to the outlying islands. The city itself is not on many major trade routes, but neither is it terribly far from them. The mainland hosts the Old City of Katha. The Old City is the walled off coastal village that used to act as the trade center for the region, and also a place for outlying villages to retreat to when times got bad. It used to fit only a few hundred people. Now, the walls have almost completely come down, and the open areas used to pasture cows or sheep during times of siege have been filled in by new construction. Refuge Island is just off the coast of the mainland, and used to be empty 99% of the time; the 1% was during bandit raids or attacks from neighboring countries or kingdoms. Refuge Island is a rocky, cliff-face of an island with only one reasonable landing spot and path up the crags. At the top is an old fort, built out of the rock of the hill. Villagers from Katha and beyond would seek refuge in this generations-old fort during times of extreme need. It has become the center of Maddie Turner's government. Barrier Island is a long, L-shaped, sandy island that mostly encloses the bay used by Katha. It was uninhabited except by an old lighthouse until very recently. Katha has long had a steady trade history, but not a rich one. This area of the world is hard to reach by boat or foot, making the villages in Katha's periphery mostly independent and self-sufficient. Katha was the only hub of trade for the region, with agricultural produce being shipped away and general trade goods - iron for farm and household tools for example - being imported by small-time local merchants. Outside of agriculture and this modicum of trade, Katha and surrounds has mostly been neglected by trade routes, technology, and the spread of empires. History Katha has a long yet undistinguished history. It existed mostly as a small village and regional trade-hub for hundreds of years with little variation. Its proximity to trade routes and the piracy and banditry that accompanies them made it a frequent, secondary target for such thieves. In the further distant past, various other empires have claimed to hold, or did in fact hold, sway over Katha, yet none in living memory, and none for very long. According to some oral traditions, however, Katha was once an empire of its own and a major site of religious pilgrimage. More recently, earlier this generation the great hero Testicles fought and killed the vicious Red Dragon which lived in the area and kept vast expanses beyond the city uninhabitable. Testicles defeated the dragon and took its hoard with him, leaving behind more wealth than the entire region had ever seen or could ever produce. This caused massive deflation in the price of gold, a massive increase in the number and size of attacks on the city and outlying villages, and in some areas completely broke down the social order since none could agree on the value of trade goods. Maddie Turner was young when this happened, and it has shaped her views on proper economic management. Factions Amalgamated Shipping This near-monopoly of all shipping related businesses is the main source of government income. It is split into four main areas of work, each covered by a different board member. The Idle Rich Closely related to AS, but also separate from it, is this loose grouping of those wealthy Kathans who celebrate their new luxurious life styles. Order of the Scarf Comprised of many of the merchants and artisans that have not benefited as much from Maddie Turner's patronage, the Order of the Scarf is a loose organization which advocates for better government policy for themselves.